Several, partly interconnected crises have profoundly challenged the European project in recent years. Among them especially the reactions to the arrival of 1.25 million refugees in 2015 called into question the idea(l) of a unified Europe guaranteeing the rights of refugees and implementing norms and values many see contained in the Community acquis. The still ongoing debate about the distribution of refugees within the EU, the further development of the Dublin system and discussions about “deals” with Turkey and North-African states showed and show deep divides about the values Europe should realize.

There is an urgent need to stabilize and reunite Europe with common norms and values to find appropriate, morally right and feasible solutions to the multiple crises it faces. The EU’s ability to overcome its crises, particularly in the context of migration and integration policies, will not only depend on its provision of material benefits to states and individuals, it must also credibly claim the ability to establish conditions for legitimacy and justice within and beyond Europe.

With a unique combination of social scientific analysis, as well as legal and philosophical normative reconstruction and theory, NoVaMigra will develop a precise descriptive and normative understanding of the current “value crisis”, assess possible evolutions of European values, and consider Europe’s future in light of rights, norms, and values that it should aim at and that could contribute to overcoming the crisis.